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What are the key features of a startup leader?

A start-up leader must have the ability to select collaborators who share the same business vision, are trustworthy and “hands-on”, i.e., proactive. These are the three start-up stands economist Arie Halpern, Gauzy Technologies director, vouches for. Gauzy has developed the Smart Blinds technology, an innovation in liquid crystal transparency.

“The ability to put ideas into practice has been one of the biggest challenges in business, and its lack is one of the greatest reasons for thousands of start-up failures, he explains. Therefore, it is necessary to know where you want to be and, mainly, how to get there. This is how an innovation develops from an abstract idea to a successful product in the market. “The ability to choose the team members is determinant in this process”. Halpern adds: the earlier the team members are selected, the faster the project will reach a level of maturity capable of taking the product or service to the market.

From the outset, the project leader must be very clear about what the company’s goals are and where he intends to lead it to. It is the leader’s role to study the market and objectively analyze how the innovation will be introduced in an increasingly competitive scenario. “With this knowledge, the leader will have means to motivate the team on reaching good results, transmitting customers, team members, and investors confidence and credibility”, Halpern says.

Another key point is that the leader and selected team members should have some degree of familiarity with the project. Previous knowledge will enable the team to complement the knowledge of the founder without generating personal disputes. However, the team members should feel comfortable and challenged to oppose the leader’s opinion when necessary. “The people selected for a specific project should be expected to constructively challenge, as a team, what is necessary to be done to build a successful business “, complements Halpern. This kind of feeling when selecting the team members will be crucial for the future of a start-up.